Sweep of the Heart

24

When we last left the warm embrace of Gertrude Hunt, Sean departed to put out the latest Dushegub fire and Kosandion and Caldenia had a lovely chat. But the spousal selection marches on, and now Kosandion must date. Mandatory flirting. Ah, the lives of galactic rulers. So eventful. So busy. So tragic.

But life goes on. Let’s check in and see what is happening.

I dragged my hand over my face. “Sean is a werewolf. He is new to this whole innkeeper thing. But you are like me. You were born into this business. You know better.”

Tony didn’t even have the decency to look apologetic. “They are uninjured. No harm is being done to them. They just can’t move.”

On our back lawn, hidden from view by the house, five Dushegubs stood frozen in weird poses, arranged in a picturesque manner. They must have really pissed Sean off because he got Tony to freeze them in place.

“Harm doesn’t have to be physical. It can also be emotional.”

“Dushegubs don’t have emotions. Besides, I think this looks festive. Just view them as holiday decorations.”

“For which holiday?”

“Halloween. It’s only 3 months away.”

Ugh.

Something was happening by the driveway. Something involving raised voices. I concentrated. Marais, standing just inside the boundary. He wouldn’t have stepped on the inn’s grounds unless he wanted to alert us.

“This conversation isn’t over,” I said. “I’ll be right back.”

“No worries. They’re not going anywhere.”

I went out of the inn the old-fashioned way, through the front door and down the steps to the driveway. Beast followed me, ever so vigilant.

At the bottom of the driveway Marais stood next to his cruiser. A dark-haired plump woman faced him, her arms crossed over her chest. Her face was in profile, but there was no mistaking that body language.

“You lied to me.”

“I didn’t.” Marais didn’t sound convincing.

Uh-oh.

“You said you were going to work. I went by the station, Hector! They told me you were on vacation!”

She sounded really angry.

“I have a side hustle.”

Wrong choice of words.

“You have a side something, alright.”

“It’s a job, Donna.”

“You are a workaholic. In the past three years you took one vacation, and I had to twist your arm to do it. Do you expect me to believe that you voluntarily took vacation time to work another job?”

“As you said, a workaholic…”

“You are parked in front of someone’s house!” She shook her head. “Stop lying to me. How could you do this to me? To us, to our family?”

Marais held his hands up. “It’s not what you think.”

“I don’t know what to think anymore. I thought we were a team. I thought we talked to each other. It was us against the world. Now here you are sneaking around. Lying to me, to our kids, to your job. What happened to you?”

Hector’s marriage was exploding in slow motion in front of me. Someone had to throw themselves on that grenade, and Hector wasn’t going to do it, because deep inside he was still the Officer Marais who promised to keep our secret. He looked desperate.

I started down the driveway.

“I love you very much,” Mrs. Marais said. “But I can’t deal with cheating or lying. I won’t.”

“Donna, please…”

“You know what hurts the most? It’s not even the cheating itself. It’s that you were so unhappy that you looked for comfort with someone else, and I had no idea.” Her voice caught. “You didn’t trust me enough to let me know.”

There was so much hurt in her voice. Ouch.

Marais looked like he wanted to fall through the ground under his feet.

A green Honda passed by, the driver craning his neck to get a better look at what was happening. They were standing right next to Marais’ cruiser. People were conditioned to pay attention to police cars. It was a minor miracle that nobody from the subdivision across the street had shown up to watch the show and film all of this with cell phones. I had to get the two of them off the street.

“Enjoy your vacation. I hope it was worth it.”

“Mrs. Marais?” I called out. Beast danced by my feet, barking. She sensed two people being agitated and wasn’t sure if she was supposed to bite somebody.

The woman turned to me. Oh crap, crap, crap, crap.

“You!” the Costco lady squeaked.

I had the worst luck in the world.

Donna Marais pointed at me and strained. She must’ve had a lot of things to say all at once and they caused a traffic jam, because nothing came out. She just pointed with her mouth gaping.

Marais blinked, looking back and forth between us. “Do the two of you know each other?”

“It’s her!” Donna spat out. “I told you. The monster in Costco! That’s her. The woman that disappeared! Is that who you’re sleeping with? What the hell is going on?”

“We are not sleeping together. I hired your husband.”

Her face told me she did not believe a word I said. “Hired him to do what?”

There was no way around this. “Come inside, please.”

“I’m not going in your house! I’m going to stay right out here, and someone better explain things to me.”

Marais took her by the arm and said, “Trust me.”

“Let go of me, you bastard!” she growled.

I really felt for her, but if I tried to reassure her here, not only would she not believe me, but she could decide to leave. She came here ready to challenge Marais and the person she thought he was sleeping with. It was much better to be a little combative. She would follow me if she thought I would give her that confrontation.

“Would you rather go inside and find out exactly what is going on, or would you rather stay outside here and keep making a scene for the whole neighborhood?” I asked.

Like throwing gasoline on the fire. Mrs. Marais drew back and gave me an angry stare. “I don’t like you.”

“That’s fine, but I’m trying to explain things. After I’m done, I’ll give you a can of beans you can throw at me.”

She glared at me. “Five minutes. That’s all I’m giving you.”

“Five minutes is plenty.”

She marched up the driveway. Marais and I struggled to keep up. We reached the door. I held it open and the two of them went inside.

I had to keep this as professional and impersonal as possible. The more business-like I was, the more it would reassure Donna that there was absolutely nothing between Marais and me. The customary innkeeper tone when meeting new guests was best here: courteous but slightly distant.

Caldenia emerged from the kitchen, still in her beautiful gown. “Here you are. Did you know that smoking meat with Dushegub logs gives the flesh a unique flavor? I just found out. This is very exciting. I couldn’t help but notice you have five on the lawn. They must have done something to warrant a rigorous pruning.”

Donna stared at Caldenia.

“We are not pruning guests to use as fuel for a BBQ,” I said.

“I spoke to Orro, and he’s on board.”

“No,” I said firmly.

“Are you her mother?” Donna demanded.

“Heavens no. I am her guest. Her first guest.”

Her Grace smiled, showing Donna all of her beautiful, pointed teeth. Donna took a small step back.

“No pruning. That’s final. Please follow me.” I started down the hallway to the throne room.

The inn tugged on me, and I opened a door to the Merchant rooms. Cookie popped through it in all of his fluffy cuteness.

“I wish to reserve a dining hall for the fourth week of the next month.”

“Which one?”

“The Ocean one. My grandmother has been watching the selection and she wants to visit. She specifically asked for me to escort her.” His fur fluffed up. He danced around me, unable to contain himself. The lees revered their elders, and Grandmother Nuan Re was Clan Nuan’s most respected elder. To be able to host her was a massive boon.

I smiled at him. “Congratulations, Nuan Couki. What a great honor!”

“I know.” His eyes sparkled. “May I have the dining hall?”

“Of course. Please let Orro know your preferences.”

“Splendid!”

He dashed ahead of us. I opened the doors ahead, and he streaked into the throne room heading for the kitchen.

“What the fuck is going on?” Donna whispered to her husband.

“A lot,” he said. “It’s not usually this busy.”

“Is this a movie? Hector, was that a little kid in a costume? Who’s the scary old lady?”

We entered the throne room. It took Donna a couple of seconds to realize that the massive room could never have fit into the Victorian she saw from the street. Her eyes opened wide. She grabbed Marais’ arm, holding on tight. He patted her fingers gently.

Gertrude Hunt tugged on me. I pulled a thirty-foot screen to the Pit out of the floor. A huge Dushegub waved its branches at me.

“Proposition: return those you took, or we kill you, we break your inn, and we smother your dog creature. Do you want to discuss?”

I flicked my fingers. Wooden branches shot out of the wall, wrapped around the Dushegub, and yanked it into the wall. I pulled it through the inn toward me. The floor split and the murderous tree emerged, wrapped in Gertrude Hunt’s coils.

Donna shied back. “That’s not CGI. Hector, that is not CGI.”

I threw my voice down the hall. “Tony?”

“Yes?” his disembodied voice replied.

“I have one more ornament for the lawn. It’s in the throne room.”

“I knew you would see things my way. On it.”

I turned back to Marais and Donna. “This way, please.”

They followed me into the Ocean Dining Hall. Outside, past the outdoor terrace, the orange sea glittered in the sun. As if on cue, a massive, scaled creature raised its dragon head from the amber waters, snapped its jaws, and dove back down.

I pointed to the nearest table. “Please make yourself comfortable.”

Donna froze. “I can smell the ocean.”

“Let’s sit,” Marais told her.

She let him lead her to the table.

Droplet emerged from the kitchen. “Welcome, honored guests.”

Donna just gaped at her.

“Chef wants to know if this is your captain and if your badge is on the line,” Droplet asked Marais.

I had tried to explain the difference between film and reality to Orro, but he stubbornly refused to acknowledge it. It didn’t help that Sean kept showing him buddy cop movies and calling them “Angry Captain Documentaries.”

“She’s my spouse,” Marais said.

Droplet’s fur stood on end. She ran to the kitchen, calling out, “It’s his wife! Bring all the doughnuts!”

“Brace yourself,” Marais said and yelled, “She likes strawberry!”

“What is all this?” Donna sounded almost desperate. “Who are you?”

“My name is Dina Demille, and this is Gertrude Hunt,” I told her. “We are an inn that caters to a particular kind of traveler. We’re hosting a spousal selection for the head of one of the galactic nations, and we hired your husband as extra security. I apologize if this has caused you concern. Secrecy is paramount to us. Officer Marais has the means to handle any problems he encounters, and he is very good at what he does.”

“You’re arresting aliens,” Donna said in a small voice.

“Only sometimes,” Marais said.

Donna stared at him.

“Mostly I cite the law, threaten them with a really deadly gun, and then they go away. It’s very safe.”

Donna blinked and looked at me. “A deadly gun?”

“It vaporizes things. On a subatomic level,” he told her. “I’ll show you later.”

It was probably safe to smile now, so I did. “Gertrude Hunt is honored to count you among our visitors. Please make yourself at home. It’s a lot to take in, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed, so try to relax. You are safe here. Call my name if you need anything.”

A procession of servers carrying platters marched out of the kitchen, led by Orro bearing a mountain of doughnuts on a crystal serving dish.

I got out of the way and went to handle my other problems.

Amphie’s date with the Sovereign was the most tiring experience. She was supposed to have a date after Nycati, but Kosandion requested the switch, and after spending an hour in Amphie’s company, I could see why. He wanted to jump the biggest hurdle first. The second elimination ceremony was tomorrow afternoon, followed immediately by the Third Trial, which was why we were packing the remaining dates into today and tomorrow morning like sardines.

Amphie had chosen the gallery for her date, one of the pre-made environments I specifically created for the selection. I had taken a page out of every heist movie’s playbook and built a somewhat cliché museum room: large, with a high ceiling featuring a beautiful skylight, walls of frosted white glass, and a floor in a mosaic of creams and white. I’d pulled various alien items out of storage, arranged them on pedestals with some strategic lighting, and finished it off with a small vala tree.

The tree was a gift from Lord Soren, Arland’s uncle. I loved it to pieces. It was my baby, and I moved it from its special spot in the vampire wing and gave it the royal treatment it deserved: its own focal point directly under the skylight where its blood-red leaves glowed against its black branches. It grew from a patch of moist soil dotted with mossy rocks, with the traditional House Krahr stream winding around through a shallow streambed. The stream continued through the room, creating a natural separation between sections.

It was a serene environment, designed to inspire quiet moments and contemplation. Amphie attacked it like she was in a fight for her life. She steered Kosandion from item to item, offered a quick factoid about its function or origin, asked him a question, and then eagerly hung on every word.

About ten minutes into it, I realized it wasn’t about Kosandion. It was a performance for the Dominion’s citizens, designed to show off her comprehensive education and understanding of galactic cultures. Periodically, she would make a small joke, just a little wink that said, “Yes, I’m educated but aren’t I also clever and charming?”

It felt very A-student to me. As if she were called out by the professor to stand next to him in front of the class, and she was committed to proving to everyone that not only could she converse with him, but she could also impress him.

It was incredibly draining, and I didn’t even have to keep up my end of the conversation the way Kosandion did. I kept hoping she would run out of clever, but more kept coming and coming, until finally after an hour, she was forced to exit.

Now I was escorting her to her quarters through a long hallway, with Beast leading the way. Nycati was next. He had also chosen the gallery, and I would pick him up as soon as I dropped her off. Normally either Tony or Sean would’ve brought the candidate to me while I remained with Kosandion, but Amphie’s date was broadcast in its entirety, and they both had to babysit the delegations in the various dining halls.

Hopefully nobody would get poisoned this time.

I had sealed the gallery with Kosandion inside to give him a few minutes to relax. The inn was watching him, but I was still paranoid.

“How do you feel it went?” Amphie asked.

“It’s not my place to offer an opinion,” I told her.

“You are with him all the time. You’ve earned his trust. Does he talk about me?”

She was barking up the wrong tree. “Gertrude Hunt prides itself on confidentiality.”

Amphie’s eyes narrowed. The hint of a different person shone through, a driven, cut-throat woman focused on her goal.

“You sit in on their strategy sessions. There are no cameras here. Nobody would ever know if you chose to share a few drops of information. Help me, and I promise to compensate you. If I become the spouse, I will have unprecedented influence on the Dominion. You and your inn won’t regret it.”

I stopped before the door to her rooms. “We’ve arrived.”

She gave me a frustrated stare. “You truly don’t know what’s good for you.”

I flicked the door open.

“Will you tell him?” she asked.

“I keep the confidence of my guests. All of them.”

Amphie marched through the doors, and I shut them behind her. Beast woofed once softly by my feet.

“I agree,” I told her, and we headed down the hallway to Nycati’s quarters.

I never fully bought Amphie’s earnest act. Every selection candidate was extraordinary in some ways, the best each delegation could offer, and the Dominion was a place of nuance and political maneuvering. Amphie was projecting an earnest sincerity that bordered on naivete, which was absurd because nobody would send an innocent into this process. The preparation for selection began as soon as the Dominion realized that Kosandion would be able to keep his throne. Even if she had started as a sweet young flower, years of education and preparation would have shaped her into a clever, ruthless political operative.

Amphie was ambitious. There was no question about it. She didn’t want Kosandion, but she definitely wanted the power that came with being the spouse and the mother to the future heir. And she wasn’t above holding that future power over my head. Being blacklisted by the Dominion would damage Gertrude Hunt’s standing.

I had no idea what Nycati wanted.

We were still nowhere near figuring out the identity of the hidden assassin. At first, I thought Pivor was it, so I breathed a sigh of relief. But then it occurred to me that a hidden assassin would’ve been less sloppy. Kosandion’s information indicated that the assassin was a highly skilled professional. Pivor had barely covered his tracks. I’d asked Kosandion’s thoughts, and he agreed with me. Pivor was a curveball out of left field. Someone still wanted to murder Kosandion.

And we hadn’t heard anything more from Wilmos’ kidnappers. I felt like a skier midway up the slope of a steep mountain, eyeing the buildup of snow at its apex. Eventually it would break and become an avalanche, and I wasn’t sure we could dodge it.

I didn’t want anything bad to happen to Kosandion, and not because we would lose Gertrude Hunt.

Nycati had chosen a white robe that floated around him like a cloud, a striking color against his amber skin. A silver ornament, shaped like a melting snowflake, rested on his long hair. He gave me a brisk nod, and we proceeded down the hallway without a word.

Gaheas royals lived dangerous lives, and they remembered debts, those of others and their own. I knew his secret, which gave me power over him and made me his least favorite person. He would retaliate to reclaim that power. I just didn’t know how or when. He had requested a game of Dominion chess with the Sovereign. Dominion chess was played on a twelve-sided board with 60 different pieces. It was insanely complex, and a single game took forever. Maybe his revenge was to bore me to death.

We stepped into the gallery. Orata’s cameras were already floating, recording our arrival.

“Candidate Nycati,” Kosandion said.

“Greetings, Sovereign.”

I pulled a small table with the chessboard out of the wall.

“Shall we?” Kosandion nodded to the chess board.

“One moment.”

What moment? No moment. Sit at the table and play chess.

Nycati gave me a smile. “It occurred to me that staying at the inn is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for new experiences, so I wondered if I could impose on our host and ask for a different setting.”

Aha. I nodded. “What did you have in mind?”

“Something unique and extraordinary. I want to see something I would otherwise have no chance of witnessing in my lifetime.”

Not just something he hadn’t seen but something he would never see in his lifetime. This had to be his stab at revenge. He thought he could stump me. The entire Dominion was watching and so was the Innkeeper Assembly and half of the galaxy.

Kosandion raised his eyebrows.

I had to make this good. The floor under our feet shifted, carrying us up. I raised my hand, and the wall in front of us fractured, spinning to the sides.

“Your wish is granted.”

A large room opened in front of us, the tall ceiling supported by square wooden columns, unstained so the rich grain of the wood was clearly visible under the resin. The floor flowed like a river, with currents of malachite and brown onyx twisting as they flowed to the dais at the far end of the room. The walls were the same stunning wood as the columns. Metal screens in shades of silver and white gold showed odd creatures with gemstone eyes. Elegant paintings hung on the walls.

The dais supported a throne. It was a rough, simple seat, carved from a translucent white stone traversed by blood-red veins. They spread through the stone, sparse in some places and dense in others, and the throne glowed in the light streaming through the massive open doorway and large window.

Beyond the doorway, a balcony of polished gray stone wrapped all the way around the room, sheltered by an overhanging roof held up by massive stone columns. The vast plain that rolled into the distance was so far below, the sea of grass and isolated copses of trees looked like a miniature built by an artisan crafter.

The detail was breathtaking. No two columns were the same, no two stone reliefs mirrored another. But it wasn’t just about the detail. Stepping into this space was like entering an entirely different world, completely foreign and yet so cohesive, so refined that being in it was effortless. It was as if you suddenly found a better version of a room, where everything was in its most natural place, and you too became a part of it. Leaving it filled you with regret.

The two men held still, taking it in.

“What is this?” Kosandion asked finally.

“The Seat of Drífan Liege Adira of Green Mountain.”

Shock slapped Nycati’s face.

The Drífen were one of the great mysteries of the galaxy. Their entire solar system existed within a dimensional rift, and it was deeply magic. The sun, the planets, the moon, the plants, the animals, the beings inhabiting it, everything existed within this magical biosphere, connected and shaped by it. The Drífen didn’t trade with the outside worlds. They didn’t exchange emissaries, although some of them traveled through the galaxy for their own secret reasons. The only way to access the worlds of Drífen would be if one of the planets wanted you there, and then it would summon you whether you liked it or not and make you its own.

Sean and I hosted a Drífan Liege during Treaty Stay, an innkeeper holiday, months ago. Her emissary showed us a holographic projection of her throne room, which the inn recorded. I had made her quarters with elements from that image, but the throne room haunted me. Before Adira left, I’d asked her permission to replicate it. I didn’t have to, but it felt right at the time. She agreed.

I’d been working on this space for almost half a year, tinkering with it when I had a moment. I’d started over three times, but I finally got it close. It still wasn’t perfect, and it would likely never be finished. For one, the topography outside was all wrong. The Green Mountain view was that of mountains sheathed with forests. I wanted the height, so I built it in Wancurat, one of our lesser used doors, on top of a giant fossilized megatree.

“Will this cause any difficulties?” Kosandion asked.

I let a banner unroll from the ceiling directly behind the throne. On it, Adira stood in all her glory, the image of her painted onto the canvas by one of her retainers with shocking accuracy. A spiderweb-thin script shone with crimson across the banner. The letters squirmed on the fabric, twisting into Old Galactic.

“I, Adira, the Liege Lord of Green Mountain, gift this scroll to Dina of Gertrude Hunt. May it hang in a room worthy of it so the might of Green Mountain shall become known across the galaxy.”

When in doubt, always get the permission in writing. I pulled the chess board out of the floor, set it on a low table and offered two floor cushions to Kosandion and Nycati.

They played chess for the next hour. Both were expert players. It was a surreal experience, to watch two very different men, both highly intelligent, both driven, sit in this serene space, completely absorbed in their game and yet seamlessly fitting into the room. Perhaps that was the true magic of Drífen. It was a place that collected strays from a dazzling variety of cultures and species and made them feel like they belonged.

When the hour was up, with the game reluctantly abandoned, and Orata’s cameras deactivated, Kosandion and Nycati walked onto the balcony. They stood side by side, looking at the plain far below.

“Are you sure?” Kosandion asked.

“Yes.”

“There will be no going back.”

“I know,” the Gaheas prince said.

“Do you really want it?”

Nycati shrugged. “Does it matter? Did you want it?”

“I didn’t, but I didn’t have a choice. You can walk away from it.”

“So can you. You can ask our innkeeper to open a door into some distant place, walk through it, abandon everything, and disappear.”

“The Dominion would be thrown into chaos.”

Nycati’s face was somber. “My people are in chaos now.”

“If I didn’t know, you would have been my choice,” Kosandion said.

“I’m honored,” Nycati said.

A gust of wind tugged on his hair. The Gaheas prince brushed it off his face with an impatient jerk of his fingers. “A logical choice, but not the right one.”

Kosandion continued watching the scenery.

“You have been kind,” Nycati said. “I may never get a chance to repay this kindness, so let me humbly offer this small piece of unwanted advice. We are focuses of larger forces. Duty. Honor. Survival. And yet, there are times when we must claim something for ourselves. Not because of duty, but because we require it to keep on living. Don’t miss your chance, Letero.”

“I’ll take it under advisement,” Kosandion said.

It was almost 9:00 pm, and I was so tired, I couldn’t see straight. We had just finished Bestata’s date and were about to start date number I-couldn’t-even-remember, Surkar, and there was one more after that. Starting with Amphie, we had launched straight into the date marathon without any breaks, one candidate after another. Nycati was second, then Oond, then Prysen Ol, Unessa, followed by Bestata… Today turned out to be an insane day that lasted forever, and tomorrow wouldn’t be much better.

I glanced at Kosandion. He leaned against the wall of the gallery, his eyes closed. How in the world he could keep going was beyond me. After a whole day of standing, my feet cried when I put any weight on them.

The inn chimed in my head.

“Showtime,” I told Kosandion.

He pushed from the wall and opened his eyes. Orata’s cameras came to life like a swarm of annoying mechanical insects.

The door slid aside, and Sean emerged with Lady Wexyn by his side. She wore a pale blue robe dress, nearly transparent and embroidered with large white blossoms, over an inner white robe and harem pants. A single silver ornament held her hair back from her face, gathering it into coils atop her head. For her, this was downright subdued.

The two of them reached us.

“Where is Surkar?” I asked.

“He refused the date,” Sean said.

Refusing the date meant he withdrew from the selection. “Are you serious?”

Sean nodded.

“What about his small ask?”

“It’s forfeit,” Kosandion said.

I knew Surkar was proud, but that seemed shortsighted.

“My apologies for the sudden change in schedule, Lady Wexyn,” Kosandion said. “I hope it wasn’t too jarring.”

“It wasn’t your fault, Letero.”

“Where would you like to go?” Kosandion asked.

“To the amber sea,” Lady Wexyn said.

Easy as pie. I opened the door in the side wall. The four of us walked through it, down a short hallway, and emerged into the Ocean Dining Hall. It was mostly empty. Only one table was occupied. Karat, Dagorkun, Cookie, and Tony sat around it with Marais and Donna. Donna made big eyes at us as we crossed to the terrace.

I sealed the terrace door behind us, ensuring that we wouldn’t be disturbed.

“Could we get closer to the water?” Lady Wexyn asked.

We were on top of an island, a solid chunk of rock protruding high above the shallow ocean. There was no beach. The walls of the island, sheer and nearly vertical, weren’t suitable for walking on either. I would have to make something.

I tapped my broom. A section of the terrace dipped in front of us, sinking and flowing off the cliff like melting cheese, with a stone staircase forming as it touched the honey-colored waves. A small beach materialized at the end of the staircase, lined with smooth pebbles and sea glass, hugged on one side by the stone of the island and washed by the gentle surf on the other three. A tree rose out of the pebbles, its leaves a bright, lemony yellow. I had stolen it from Lady Wexyn’s quarters. Its branches curved over the beach in a graceful bow.

There. Romantic enough.

Lady Wexyn smiled. “We’ll need a blanket.”

One of the inn’s tendrils snapped out of solid rock and hung a blanket on the tree branch. Kosandion offered his arm to Lady Wexyn. She rested her fingers on it, and they strolled down the staircase to the beach. Sean and I waited at the top of the staircase, giving them a little distance.

“Do you wish to tell me about your life in the Temple of Desire?” Kosandion asked.

Lady Wexyn took the blanket off the tree and spread it over the pebbles. “Sit with me, Letero.”

“Very well.”

They sat side by side.

“Are you tired?” she asked.

A hint of fatigue slipped through Kosandion’s mask. “It’s been a long day.”

“It has. Does this hour belong to me?”

“Yes,” he said.

“Then we don’t have to talk, Letero.” She smiled a serene, easy smile. “We can just sit here and watch the waves.”

I had the inn pull a couple of firm outdoor cushions out of storage and quietly slid them over to the couple. Lady Wexyn winked at me, moved her cushion closer, and leaned back against it.

For several seconds Kosandion sat next to her, unmoving, and then some of the rigid tension drained from his spine. He reached for his cushion, adjusted it to his liking, rested his arm on it, and let his gaze drift out over the water.

Sean and I were near the top of the staircase, with Kosandion and Lady Wexyn about thirty yards in front of us and fifty feet below. Going down there would be intruding, but letting the Sovereign out of my sight wasn’t an option.

A section of the rock slid out of the sheer wall, forming a small natural terrace to the right of us. A chunk of it curved, flowing into a smooth stone bench. I glanced at Sean.

“He’s safe,” he told me.

“What makes you think that?”

“Trust me. We can keep an eye on them from here.”

Standing on top of this staircase staring down at them felt stupid, and I was so wiped out. Besides, he said the magic words. I did trust him.

I landed on the bench. Sean sat next to me and put his arm around my shoulders. I leaned into him. He was warm. It felt so nice.

“Tired?” he asked.

“Exhausted. You and I can’t go on dates anymore.”

“Why?”

“Date is a dirty word.”

He smiled. “That bad, huh?”

“Yes.” I snuggled closer to him. “All of them were bad, but Prysen Ol and Amphie were the worst. He kept going on and on about obscure philosophical and ethical issues. I almost fell asleep standing up. She talked for the entire hour, super intense and tiresome, and then tried to bribe me on the way back to her quarters. At least Oond’s dance was pretty.”

Although a whole hour of jazz fins was really too much.

Sean’s body tensed. “Bribe you with what?”

“Unspecified favors which she would provide when she became the spouse. She wasn’t really clear on that part, but she did threaten to blacklist us if I didn’t go along.”

Sean cracked a smile.

“When you smile like that, you look like you’re plotting murder.”

“Not always.”

“What’s the deal with Surkar?”

“He’s being strategic. They were in it to win it. He knows he’s done, so he’s cutting his losses.”

“Why? They won’t get anything now. They’ll leave empty handed.”

Sean stroked my shoulder with his fingers. “So will Dagorkun.”

“I don’t follow.”

“Surkar and his people must have had a plan. The spouse-thing fit into it somehow, and whatever that plan is, they really don’t want the Khan or the Khanum to know about it. Dagorkun is smart. He doesn’t need much to put things together. Disclosing their minor ask might give away their hand, so Surkar would rather keep his mouth shut and go home with nothing.”

Huh. I gave Surkar too little credit. It was a smart move. Dagorkun was free to suspect as much as he wanted, but without evidence, he could prove nothing.

“Do you think there will be a civil war within the Horde?”

“It will never get that far,” Sean said. “Judging by their history, the Horde will find a new enemy soon, someone dangerous and vicious. And then Surkar and his tribe might find themselves on the front lines. Nobody wants to admit it, but part of the reason the Nexus war lasted so long was because the Horde needed a meat grinder. Their numbers are growing faster than they can manage. Nexus thinned those numbers and hardened the survivors.”

“But the Khanum was desperate to end it.”

“The Khan and the Khanum are not the only voices the Horde listens to. There are a multitude of tribes, the elders, the shamans, the bureaucrats, the honored generals who had distinguished themselves… Many of them saw Nexus as the necessary evil.”

He fell silent. There were a lot of dark memories there.

On the beach, Kosandion lay on his back, rested his head on Lady Wexyn’s thigh, and closed his eyes. The ocean lapped at the pebbles with a soft whisper.

“Unessa’s date didn’t last long,” Sean said.

“No. How much did they show you?”

“Nothing. The feed was delayed by about ten minutes, then they announced that she was feeling unwell and wished to return to her rooms. I sensed she was with you and Kosandion for at least fifteen minutes, so what happened?”

I sighed. “She showed up in a see-through dress and nothing else. He tried to get her to talk about her childhood and how she came to the Dushegubs. It was like talking to a tree. She kept smiling, and then she pulled her dress over her head.”

Sean laughed. “At least she is direct.”

“So is Bestata. Apparently, House Meer is all about a new strategic military alliance. Not as part of the Holy Anocracy. Just them by themselves and their new best friend, the Dominion.”

“The Warlord would just love that,” Sean said.

House Meer had been excommunicated by the Hierophant of the Holy Anocracy, meaning they were barred from participating in religious events or holding federal positions in the government. They had dishonored themselves by refusing to fight on Nexus, but they were still a part of the Holy Anocracy and subject to their laws and the mandates of the Warlord.

Technically each vampire house was free to make their own alliances; however, the Holy Anocracy as a whole already had a treaty with the Dominion. By trying to form an additional alliance on top of the official one, House Meer would be superseding the authority of the Warlord. They were playing a very dangerous game.

“That’s how wars start,” Sean said. “All the little secret agreements. If Bestata became the spouse, and House Meer went to war with another house or with one of the other powers, the Dominion would be dragged into it.”

“He’s too smart to pick her.”

“He might not have a choice. Tomorrow is Game Day.”

The elimination followed by a nine-hour trial. I sighed. “Yay.”

“I can tell you’re excited.”

“You know what? I am excited. One more day, and then he has to pick one of them. I don’t care who it is at this point. That’s his problem. I just want to rescue Wilmos.”

Sean kissed me. “I think you pushed yourself too hard.”

“I mean it. I don’t care.”

“You care about everyone all the time. You even care about what’s going to happen to Unessa.”

“They will probably eat her.” The Dushegubs were pragmatic. They didn’t feel affection, and Unessa was a source of nutrients. Since they didn’t need her anymore, they would…recycle.

Sean squeezed me to him. “They won’t get the chance.”

“Do you know something I don’t?”

“Quite frequently, yes.”

I rolled my eyes.

He looked terribly smug. “What is it you tell me when you pull some surprise out of thin air? An innkeeper has their secrets.”

“I’m too tired for secrets. Ask me anything, I’ll tell you.”

“Do you love me?”

“That’s not a secret. Everyone knows I love you.”

“Even when I throw myself at pirate ships?”

“Even then. Although please don’t make it a habit.”

We sat together and watched the ocean until the date ended and we could finally go to bed.